WE Select: Barbry by George Jensen

Danish design house George Jensen joined forces with designer Aurélien Barbry to launch a new collection of kitchen utensils that are ethereally nordic.

Prepared for his shot at fame with his early years working with Jean Nouvel, Copenhagen-based Aurélien Barbry to date often sees his designs admired by leading design media and judges of the Cologne Interior innovation award 2010. His designs feature simplistic forms and functionality, and these characteristics are found at this Nordic cuisine-inspired collection comprising quality kitchen knives and oak pieces.

“Design is an exercise where you take the simplest things in your daily life and ask yourself how they could be done differently. I want to move objects towards simplicity and obviousness of the form so it becomes dialogue with the end user. Reinstate everyday forms, simple and accurate.”

Over the past decade, with the success of the Noma restaurant, Denmark has seen the rise of a unique and ground-breaking cuisine, known as “New Nordic”. Like the masterful Georg Jensen himself, Danish chefs are globally renowned for an outstanding level of aesthetics and dedication to quality, craftsmanship and refinement that reflects the Danish way of life. The New Nordic chefs seek to emphasise the need for what is described as purity, simplicity and freshness as well as an increased use of seasonal ingredients and the development of traditional dishes, which makes use of local produce shaped by the region’s climate, water and soil.

This inspired Aurélien Barbry, the celebrated Copenhagen-based designer, to create a collection that merges the Danish heritage of Georg Jensen and the New Nordic philosophy. Barbry related this to his own view of design as an exercise in which you take the simple things from daily life and ask yourself: how could they be done differently? In the Barbry collection, he has created essential pieces that take routine tasks in the kitchen and transform them into gastronomic and aesthetic pleasure.

The Barbry collection comprises three high-quality Knives in individual, beautiful oak holders as well as a striking sculptured oak Tray and Cutting Board and a Spoon and Spatula Set and Salt & Pepper Shakers and Napkin Holder that accentuate the marriage of Barbry and Georg Jensen designs and create rejuvenated inspiration for the daily practice of contemporary cooking in the home.